University of Notre Dame Australia

Not to be confused with University of Notre Dame.

Coordinates: 32°3′24″S 115°44′37″E / 32.05667°S 115.74361°E

University of Notre Dame Australia
Motto In principio erat Verbum
Motto in English
 "In the beginning was the Word"
Established 1989
Type Private
Affiliation Roman Catholic
Chancellor Terence Tobin, QC
Vice-Chancellor Professor Celia Hammond
Location Fremantle and Broome, Western Australia; Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Campus ACCU
NDEA (International affiliate)
Website nd.edu.au
St Benedict's Church and University of Notre Dame, Sydney
Westpac Bank building, one of the many buildings in Fremantle's west end restored and used by UNDA

The University of Notre Dame Australia (UNDA) is an Australian private Roman Catholic university established in 1989 in the Western Australian port city of Fremantle. Although it is a private university, Notre Dame receives significant government funding. While the university claims "strong collegial links"[1] with the American University of Notre Dame located in Notre Dame, Indiana, they are separate institutions.

History

The university was founded in 1989 by president and vice-chancellor, Reverend David T. Link, who continued serving as dean of the university's law school during the two years it took to establish Notre Dame Australia. Dr Peter Tannock succeeded Link and served as Vice-Chancellor, expanding the university's operations to Sydney and northwest Western Australia, and broadening the university's schools. Celia Hammond, a lawayer, was appointed as the university's the third vice-chancellor in 2008. Hammond was previously the head of the university's law school in Fremantle and stated in her inauguration speech that knowledge and learning must be within a framework of humanity in order to ensure that students have love and respect for the world, not just wisdom. She also said:[2]

"At Notre Dame we are not simply transmitters of information, creators of knowledge. Our mission will always be to teach and to educate in an environment that encourages people to seek understanding, to seek wisdom, to seek to serve, to seek to live in a way that fulfils everyone’s higher purpose."

— Professor Celia Hammond, Vice-Chancellor of The University of Notre Dame Australia, 6 August 2008

Crest

The university crest is an open Bible.

The waves below the open Bible represents the Fremantle area (the origin of the university) and Australia, a nation surrounded by water.[3]

Campuses

The university has campuses in Fremantle and Broome, Western Australia, and in two locations in Sydney, New South Wales.

The Fremantle and Broome campuses form Western Australia's smallest university, with just over 7000 students enrolled in 2008.[4]

In 2006, Notre Dame Australia established its first campus in Sydney in the suburb of Chippendale close to the CBD. The rapidly expanding campus occupies part of the complex of St Benedict's Church, with which it retains close ties. There are over 3000 students enrolled in arts, business, law and nursing courses. In 2008 the first cohort of students commenced at the new buildings for the schools of nursing and medicine, Darlinghurst campus. Students from the schools of nursing and medicine complete practical components of their education at most major Sydney and rural New South Wales hospitals.

From its Darlinghurst location the Sydney school of nursing offers both postgraduate and undergraduate studies.

Organisation and administration

Governance

The governance structure of Notre Dame is determined largely by its enabling act of parliament and its statutes. These specify the source, role and functions of its trustees, board of directors and board of governors and the principal officers and academic leaders of the university.

Academic structure

The university has three campuses offering courses in the following schools:[5]

School of Law

The university's law school participates in Australian Law Students' Association competitions and the AAT Mooting competitions as well as the International Maritime Moot competition. For the past two years, the school has recorded success, often finishing in the top five.

The law school ensures that all students complete a "moot" unit (known as "advocacy"). It is generally expected that law students require at least some moot experience prior to graduating.

The Notre Dame Law School Society provides a number of competitions throughout the year which consists of:

Notable people

The current and third Chancellor of the University since January 2011 is Terence Tobin, QC, a Sydney-based barrister.[6] The current Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer of the University since 5 August 2008 is Professor Celia Hammond, a lawyer.[2][7]

Alumni and faculty

Academics

Objects

The university's objects are defined in its act of parliament:[8]

  • the provision of university education, within a context of Catholic faith and values; and
  • the provision of an excellent standard of
    • teaching, scholarship and research;
    • training for the professions; and
    • pastoral care for its students.

Catholic ethos

The university ensures that it maintains its Catholic ethos[9] by providing students and staff with various facilities. One of the most prominent expressions of this ethos is the daily Mass at the university's chapels; 12:35 at both the Fremantle and Sydney campuses. Each school takes turns to facilitate Mass on Wednesdays (such as providing lectors for the readings) and a schola cantorum compused of students, staff and faculty sing Masses on both campuses.

Quality assurance

The university is a self-accrediting institution and is subject to regular quality audits and registration processes undertaken by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency.[10]

Facilities and services

Libraries

The main library on the Fremantle campus of Notre Dame Australia is named St Teresa's. The campus also contains the more specialised Craven Law Library and the Galvin Medical Library.

Located on Sydney's Broadway campus is St Benedict's Library and on campus at Darlinghurst is the Benedict XVI medical library.

Student support

Although Notre Dame promotes itself as a university with small class sizes, Commonwealth statistics suggest that Notre Dame has a larger number of (full-time equivalent) students per (full-time equivalent) staff member. Overall, there are around 36 students per staff member, compared with the national average of 20.[11]

The student life office provides students and staff with a number of services including:

See also

References

  1. ↑ University of Notre Dame Australia Website
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hammond, Celia (5 August 2008). Title (Speech). Freemantle, Western Australia: University of Notre Dame Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  3. ↑ "More information here". Nd.edu.au. Retrieved 2010-09-26.
  4. ↑ "Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations". Goingtouni.gov.au. 2008-08-17. Retrieved 2010-09-26.
  5. ↑ University Academic Structure 2010
  6. ↑ "New Chancellor Pays Tribute to Notre Dame's Founder" (Press release). Catholic Communications, Archdiocese of Sydney. 17 January 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  7. ↑ "Vice-Chancellor: Professor Celia Hammond". The University of Notre Dame Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  8. ↑ "Objects of the University". Nd.edu.au. Retrieved 2015-01-30.
  9. ↑ Notre Dame's statement on being a Catholic university
  10. ↑ "Quality assurance". University of Notre Dame Australia.
  11. ↑ Commonwealth DEEWR 2008 full year staff and student statistics

External links